Bucs Overloading Cadillac?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quick jump out of the gate is a bit of a surprise, and much of their early-season success can be attributed to the incredible start by rookie Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. The former Auburn running back leads the league in rushing with 434 yards, and he's sporting a nifty little 4.9 yards-per-carry average at this time. But while his success has been a key to the Bucs winning ways, there are concerns that head coach Jon Gruden is overusing his starting tailback.

Through three games, Williams has rushed the ball 88 times. That projects out to 469 carries for a guy who received just 239 last year at Auburn. A load that large has proven to be draining on just about any back, but Williams is a rookie who shared the load on the college level. And rookie running backs have been known to hit "the wall" around the 12/13 game mark under more reasonable work loads. At this pace, Williams may be burnt out by the time the playoffs roll around, assuming Tampa Bay qualifies for post-season play. Fantasy players might also want to keep this in mind as we get later into the season and his production begins to drop.

So if the Buccaneers hope their rising stock in this week's power rankings will translate into post-season success, it might be in their best interest to take a little pressure off their budding superstar.

Take a look at the latest power rankings...